Sectional sheet metal bed construction



INVENTOR. WESZEY R Jl/l IN BY I I I I I I I I I I I n I ATTORNEY W. R.JULlN SECTIONAL SHEET METAL BED CONSTRUCTION Filed March 50, 1959 Jan.15, 1963 SECTIONAL SHEET METAL 3,072,927 Patented Jan. 15, 1963 7 BEDCONSTRUCTION Wesley R. Julin, Belvidere, Ill. (324 S. 7th St., DeKalb,Ill.) Filed Mar. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 802,932 3 Claims. (Cl. -131) Thisinvention relates to a sectional sheet metal bed construction, and,while more particularly designed and intended for use in a childs dollbed or similar toy article, could be employed in a babys bed or even ayouths size bed, and possibly a full size bed.

The principal object is to reduce the construction to a number ofsubstantially flat pieces, all of simple and economical construction,which can be stacked together in a small space for easy, low costpackaging and shipping, and convenient storage when not in use, but,more importantly, easiest possible interfitting, so that a child can putthe article together or take it apart without any difficulty, the bedwhen set up being exceptionally sturdy, rigid, and durable.

Another object is the elimination, so far as possible, of any sharpcorners and edges, so as to reduce likelihood of any part scratching orcutting a chlids hands in the assembling or disassembling of the bed andin playing with it, the various sheet metal parts being furthermoreformed so that in accomplishing the aforementioned objective they arealso reinforced and rigidified, and are therefore much less likely toget bent out of shape with rough handling.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- FIG.1 is a perspective view of the bed of my invention, on a smaller scale;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the bed, about one-half actual size;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are sectional details on the correspondingly numberedlines of FIG. 2, showing the parts approximately full size, and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a modified or alternativeconstruction.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding partsthroughout these views.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral 6 designates the bedmade in accordance with my invention generally, the same being ofsectional sheet metal construction and comprising a head-end part 7,foot'end part 8, two side-rail parts 9 and 10, and a bottom part 11, allspecially constructed and arranged to be interfitted as illustrated. Thehead and foot-end parts 7 and 8 are of rectangular dished form, the fourflanged edges 12 being all folded to double thickness to make the edges13 nicely rounded and conceal the raw edges, besides giving addedstrength and rigidity. The side rail parts 9 and have the ends 14 bentto channel form to make the end edges 15 nicely rounded while alsodefining inwardly opening channels at opposite ends for reception of theoutwardly extending flanged side portions of the head and foot-end parts7 and 8, as best shown in FIGv 5. The upper edge portions 16 of the siderails between the channelled ends 14 are folded inwardly to triplethickness, as seen in FIG. 3, to provide nicely rounded top edges 17 andalso give the slide rails added stiffness and strength. The bottom part11, which is of rectangular dished form, like the head and foot-endparts, has its downwardly projecting flanges on the four sides thereofall folded to double thickness, as seen at 18 in FIG. 3, to make theedges 19 nicely rounded and conceal the raw edges and give the bottomadded strength and rigidity. The bottom edges 20 of the side rails 9 and10 between the supporting legs 23-24 are also nicely rounded, theseedges being defined by inwardly bent horizontal flanges 21, as seen inFIG. 3, which are folded to double thickness, as shown, to make theirinner edges 22 also nicely rounded, besides giving added strength andrigidity to the side rails. It is on top of these double thicknessflanges '21 that the bottom part 11 rests on its double thicknessflanges 18,

. as shown in FIG. 3, said bottom part serving also to hold the head andfoot-end parts 7 and 8 apart so that neither of these two parts can bedisconnected from the side rails until the bottom part 11 is removed. Ifpreferred, the inwardly directed flanges 21 can, as shown at 21 in FIG.6, be bent upwardly to define open-top channels closely receiving thedownwardly projecting flanges 18 on the bottom part 11, whereby to makefor still greater strength and rigidity in the assembled bed.

The flanged edge portions 12 on the bottom of the head and foot-endparts 7 and 8 provide broad supporting feet so that the bed will not beapt to scratch a floor or other surface on which it rests.

The triangular web portions 23 on opposite ends of the side rails 9 and10 define supporting legs 24 for said side rails to support the bottompart 11 at the desired elevation, and these web portions also haverounded edges 25 as a result of the folding of triangular portions 26inwardly behind the webs 23. This also makes for added strength andrigidity in the leg portions of the side rails.

The top corners 27 on the head and foot-end parts 7 and 8 are preferablyalso rounded for better appearance and reduced likelihood of injury tothe child playing with the bed.

It is clear, therefore, that despite the use of sheet metal for economyand durability, all exposed edges are nicely rounded to avoid scratchingor cutting the hands of a child playing with the bed, and, because ofthe novel way in which these rounded edges are obtained, the bed isgiven much added strength and rigidity. If a few simple instructionsaccompany the bed when it is sold packaged in knocked down form, a childcan easily put the parts together. This knock-down feature not onlyenables low cost, compact packaging of the article but adds greatly toits sales appeal, because a child learns something in the performance ofthe assembling and disassembling operations, and derives a certain senseof satisfaction in the performance of these operations.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding ofthe objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims havebeen drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations,

I claim:

1. In a sectional bed construction, a head-end section, a foot-endsection, said sections having their lower ends in a common horizontalplane for support on a horizontal surface and each of said sectionshaving flanges on the lateral edges thereof in substantially verticalplanes, the flanges on said head-end section projecting away from thefoot-end, the flanges on said foot-end section pro- 'jecting away fromthe head-end, two side rail sections disposed on opposite sides of saidhead-end and foot-end sections in upwardly spaced relation to the lowerends thereof and having channel shaped end portions in sub stantiallyvertical planes, said channels on each side rail opening toward eachother on the inner side of the side rail and interlockingly receivingthe flanges on one side of said head-end and foot-end sections, saidside rail sections having integral downwardly extending leg portions onopposite ends thereof for support against vertical displacement relativeto said head-end and foot-end sections by engagement with the samehorizontal surface as the lower ends of said end sections, the channelson the ends of said side rail sections being extended downwardly on saidleg portions and interlocked with the flanges on the lower ends of saidend sections, said side rail sections also having inwardly extendingflanges longitudinally of the bottom thereof, and a rectangular bedbottom section supported horizontally on' said inwardly extendingflangestion from the ends of said side rail sections and square with thebed-bottom section.

2. A sectional bed construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidinwardly projecting flanges on said side rail sections are bent upwardlyto channel shape with the channels opening upwardly, said bed bottomsection having downwardly projecting flanges on the opposite sidesthereof interlockingly received in said channels.

3. A sectional sheet metal bed construction as set forth in claiml'wherein there are triangular web portions on opposite ends of saidsiderail sections integral with and bracing said leg portions relative tothe ends of said side 4 rail sections, the sheet metal of said side railsections defining said triangularwebportions being folded to doublethickness to give rounded exposed edges and conceal the raw edges of thesheet metal besides lending added strength and rigidity,.to said legportions.

References Cited in the file'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,128,162 McCue Feb. 9, 1915 1,352,002 Jones Sept. 7, 1920 1,531,099Hosford Mar. 24, 1925 2,132,131 Schilling Oct. 4, 1938 2,309,323 LearIan. 26, 1943 12,869,953. Miller et a1 Jan; 20, 1959 2,943,780 BoldingJulyyS, 1960

1. IN A SECTIONAL BED CONSTRUCTION, A HEAD-END SECTION, A FOOT-ENDSECTION, SAID SECTIONS HAVING THEIR LOWER ENDS IN A COMMON HORIZONTALPLANE FOR SUPPORT ON A HORIZONTAL SURFACE AND EACH OF SAID SECTIONSHAVING FLANGES ON THE LATERAL EDGES THEREOF IN SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALPLANES, THE FLANGES ON SAID HEAD-END SECTION PROJECTING AWAY FROM THEFOOT-END, THE FLANGES ON SAID FOOT-END SECTION PROJECTING AWAY FROM THEHEAD-END, TWO SIDE RAIL SECTIONS DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAIDHEAD-END AND FOOT-END SECTIONS IN UPWARDLY SPACED RELATION TO THE LOWERENDS THEREOF AND HAVING CHANNEL SHAPED END PORTIONS IN SUBSTANTIALLYVERTICAL PLANES, SAID CHANNELS ON EACH SIDE RAIL OPENING TOWARD EACHOTHER ON THE INNER SIDE OF THE SIDE RAIL AND INTERLOCKINGLY RECEIVINGTHE FLANGES ON ONE SIDE OF SAID HEAD-END AND FOOT-END SECTIONS, SAIDSIDE RAIL SECTIONS HAVING INTEGRAL DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING LEG PORTIONS ONOPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF FOR SUPPORT AGAINST VERTICAL DIS-